GRE Word List

PHOENIX

a legendary bird which according to one account lived 500 years, burned itself to ashes on a pyre, and rose alive from the ashes to live another period

The meaning of the word phoenix is a legendary bird which according to one account lived 500 years, burned itself to ashes on a pyre, and rose alive from the ashes to live another period.

Random words

WordMeaning
bacchanaliaa Roman festival of Bacchus celebrated with dancing, song, and revelry
atavismrecurrence in an organism of a trait or character typical of an ancestral form and usually due to genetic recombination
inscrutablenot readily investigated, interpreted, or understood : mysterious
arbitrateto act as arbiter upon (a disputed question) : to settle (a dispute between two people or groups) after hearing the arguments and opinions of both
exceptionablebeing likely to cause objection : objectionable
tundraa level or rolling treeless plain that is characteristic of arctic and subarctic regions, consists of black mucky soil with a permanently frozen subsoil, and has a dominant vegetation of mosses, lichens, herbs, and dwarf shrubs
largessliberal giving (as of money) to or as if to an inferior
mendicantbeggar
alienateto cause to be estranged : to make unfriendly, hostile, or indifferent especially where attachment formerly existed
equanimityevenness of mind especially under stress